Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

The College Shield: Examining The Role Of Officer Education In Violent Police Encounters, Thaddeus Johnson, Natasha N. Johnson, Eric L. Sevigny

CJC Publications

Objectives: The latest spate of deadly police encounters across the U.S. sparked renewed calls for agencies to hire more college-educated police officers. But educational attainment’s impact on police–citizen altercations remains unclear. Using secondary data, this study examines the association between officer education level and three outcomes: police shootings, violent arrests, and physical altercations. Method: Using the Police Stress and Domestic Violence in Police Families in Baltimore, Maryland data, we employ a doubly robust propensity score design to compare outcomes among 1,104 Baltimore police officers. Results: We find that, on average, officers with some college experience or a completed bachelor’s degree …

Network Exposure And Excessive Use Of Force: Investigating The Social Transmission Of Police Misconduct, Marie Ouellet, Sadaf Hashimi, Jason Gravel, Andrew V. Papachristos

CJC Publications

Research Summary: In this study, we investigate how a police officer's exposure to peers accused of misconduct shapes his or her involvement in excessive use of force. By drawing from 8,642 Chicago police officers named in multiple complaints, we reconstruct police misconduct ego‐networks using complaint records. Our results show that officer involvement in excessive use of force complaints is predicted by having a greater proportion of co‐accused with a history of such behaviors.

Policy Implications: Our findings indicate officers’ peers may serve as social conduits through which misconduct may be learned and transmitted. Isolating officers that engage in improper use …